A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery: Thirty Creepy Tales

by Robert D. San Souci

Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and long-legged beasties inhabit these 30 chilling tales gathered from around the world. Twenty hair-raising illustrations highlight creepy classic and contemporary stories from Australia, Germany, India, El Salvador, and more, including a healthy helping of American apparitions. Do you dare walk down the lane where "Crooker Waits"? Or would you rather shake "The Hairy Hands"? These vivid retellings will keep readers and listeners on the edge of their seats, while thorough source notes are a boon to students and teachers. A supernatural treat for spine-chilling fun!

Genres: Horror, Childrens, Short Stories, Fiction, Ghosts, Anthologies, Horror Thriller

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Robert Daniel San Souci (October 10, 1946 – December 19, 2014) was a multiple award-winning children's book author, who resided in San Francisco, California. He often worked with his brother, Daniel San Souci, a children's book illustrator. He was a consultant to Disney Studios and was instrumental in the production of the film Mulan, for which he wrote the story. He studied folklore in graduate school. He died after suffering a head injury while falling from a high height in San Francisco in December 2014. He was only 68 years old.

Reviews

[Austin Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of spooky short stories, all retellings of old folk tales in the style of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and many other books like this. I still enjoyed reading this even though a few of these stories were familiar. Some of them were new to me as it gathers legends from around the world. My favorites were:
The Fiddler
The Ogre's Arm
The Witch's Head
The Tiger Woman
Peacock's Ghost
Hoichi the Earless
and a Snap of the Fingers.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series of horror tales for kids! Short & Shivery is always fun, entertaining and just a bit creepy! The tales are scary without being TOO scary -- definitely middle grade age appropriate. This book gathers 30 folklore and creepy tales from around the world.

Usually when I read a book like this, the stories are ones I've heard before, just rewritten and polished up a bit. But this time, many of these stories were new to me! Loved it!

There are several illustrations in the book by Lenny Wooden. The drawings are simple black and white, but really add an edge to the stories. There's just something extra creepy about a scary story....with pictures! And the cover art is awesome!

I love these old creepy books for kids -- always reminds me of book orders when I was in school! If the order blank ever included a story anthology like this one, I always ordered a copy! Loved stuff like this back then...and still do!

[Alex Knipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun spooky tales and myths from around the world!

[Kaitlyn Shelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love scary stories. Like really love. These are for little kids, but they were still good. I liked that there were stories from a lot of different cultures, which was cool. It wasn't too long, either. Good book.

[Am Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of very short scary stories (some merely 4-5 pages long), mostly in the style of folktales. Each story's country of origin, sometimes location, and also culture, are given. Two or three of the tales were not very good (made no sense or were pointless), but most were a delightful read, even though you knew exactly what was going to happen. A few were quite sad/poignant. The "Notes" section at the end of the book was as interesting to read as the stories themselves: for each story, we learn more about its influencing culture, lore and monsters, and sometimes further explanation about the plot is also provided. Would recommend if you like the genre and are looking for something short and light to sink your teeth into.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read San Souci's Short & Shivery Tales as a kid provided me with spooks and swell retelling if folklore around the world. The same could be said of this one, the final installment in the collection. Once again, Souci retells notable folktales in his own style that becomes easily digestible to young readers. This time, I think these stories are more obscure, with only about three of them being relatively notable to enthusiasts. Surprisingly, some of these stories have happy endings. The illustrator is different from the other books, and while the drawings are somewhat spooky, half of them appear a little flat. Thus, this collection feels a little less creepy than others before it, yet still enjoyable for the most part.

[Morven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories didn't scare me much, but I'm an adult. I think they'd be scary for children.

Since I read this mostly for its folkloric and creativity, I got everything I needed from this book. Some of the stories had familiar plots, but the diverse countries of origin made them interesting. The Notes on Sources at the end gives information on where the stories came from and what some of the story elements mean.

I read the Kindle version, which was well-formatted and easy to read on the Kindle app for my phone.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final "Short and Shivery" folklore collection may be more of the same, but I can't really complain; the stories here are even more obscure to the average American reader than before. "Hoichi the Earless" is probably the standout here, but additional offerings like "A Fish Story" and more will certainly remain in my memory.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kindle e-book from the local library

Entertaining horror listening 🎧

Thirty very short stories, that are interesting and a quick read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read. Enjoy reading 2022

[Father Longlegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

:,)

I remember this book fondly from my youth. Easy to read and not at all just for children, I enjoyed every minute!

[Sara Coley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings me back

...to childhood. That feeling of mystery and magick. I loved this book and I know I'll be reading it over and over again.

[Eliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Terrifying Taste of Short & Shivery
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ .5 (2.5/5) or 5.00/10 overall

Characters - 5

Atmosphere - 6

Writing - 5

Plot - 5

Intrigue - 5

Logic - 5

Enjoyment - 4

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Libby loan ran out before I finished. Some of these stories are WACK. The Tiger Woman went very hard, though.

[Anacca Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Terrifying Taste of Short and Shivery: Thirty Creepy Tales
By Robert D. san Souci
Mystery
169 pages


In this book, you will read 30 spine-tingling, hair-raising and, all-in-all, creepy stories from around the globe. From the USA to Mexico, Canada to France and all the way to China, these tales will cause goosebumps in all places. Read about how geeky gas station Dan saves Tessa from the Gold Country Killer. Read the book to find all kinds of creepy.


I love this book to death! See what I did there? Anyway, back to the book. In most of these stories, the dead come back to haunt the living for revenge when they were alive. But some of them have to do with supernatural animals and beasts that scare the living daylights out of everyone. But my fvorite story has to be "Dinkins is Dead". In this story, it tells how Old Man Dinkins is dying and he keeps dening it. Even after he's dead. He sits on the graveyard fence as a ghost and haunts the area. I give this book a 4.6 out of 5. I would recommend this book Goosebump fans and anyone who loves a good scare.

[Brianda Barrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as scary story compilations go, this one lands very much on the average side. Maybe I've read too many at this point but some of the stories were too similar to others I've already read. The tales were very concise almost to a fault. Not much suspense was built. Overall though I got the point of the stories and was mildly intrigued by some.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must have read this book 100 times as a kid and loved it. Recently bought a copy for my nephew but decided to reread it one more time before I gave it to him. Although it’s a lot less creepy as an adult, it’s still a fun read, and I enjoyed the notes in the back of the book that detail the origins of each story - which are gathered from cultures all over the world.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of this collection, but a few stories had potential for storytelling: Yara-Ma-yaha-who, Old Nan's Ghost, The Mother and Death, A snap of the Fingers, and The Tiger Woman. I did like the notes in the back and the culture of origin at the head of each story.

[Kaylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these gave me goosebumps. At least one I had heard before. But I enjoyed reading them.